Gorgeous Italian Skies

"Aqua On-ay"

    One of the funniest stunts Ron played on our kids was a few years ago at a restaurant called Da Agnese, a restaurant we went to last night.  It is a fabulous little taverna on Lake Albano near Rome, with the best porchetta in town.  To get to the bathroom, you have to exit the restaurant, walk along the sidewalk to the back of the restaurant, and then enter through a door marked "Toilette."
     There is a sink, and the way to turn the water on is by stepping on a peddle under the sink.  Well, our kids tried to wash their hands, but could find no knobs.  They got their dad to go with them and help determine how to turn the water on.  He figured it out but did not tell them.  He discreetly put his foot on the peddle, then said, "It's voice activated.  Watch this."  And he said in fake Italian, "Aqua On-ay!"  He used the english word "On" and then added "-Ay" since half of all Italian words ends in that sound.
     Then, when he said the magic words, he pressed the peddle, and the water came on.  The kids shrieked, and then tried it themselves.  "Aqua On-ay," they shouted to the sink.  But nothing happened.  He had them going for quite a while!
     Whenever we go to this happy little eatery, we laugh and cannot help but repeat the story.  

My favorite towns in Italy--What a day!!!!

   My two favorite towns in Italy are Gandofo and Nemi.  Gandolfo is a quaint, hillside village that overlooks a beautiful lake.  I gave a sight lecture on the address Saint Pope John Paul II gave on Marriage and the Family here in Gandolfo.  It was fun doing metaphysics with the students right there on the cobblestones.
     Here is Sebastian in the Church, San Tommaso, in the town square.

Here is Sebastian on Leigh's shoulders.

Then we went to Nemi.  It is the strawberry capital of Italy!  I love this place!!!  Here is Ron giving a sight lecture on how we are standing on the rim of a volcano and about the ancient temple of Diana that still has flowers and fruits placed on it occasionally--modern day net-paganism?  Then Professor Marchetti gave a great talk on Virgil and Dante, both of whom reference this place--Alba Longa.  It is amazing to be where the Aeneid begins!

Here are students of our UD Summer Program, plus Professor Marchetti.

Here are our kids, eating strawberry tarts, a local delicacy!!

                                     

Sebastian with his lollipop. 

My handsome husband!

Mass with the Pope!

   On our very first day in Rome, we got to go to the Vatican for Mass!  Pope Francis was saying Mass for the feast of Pentacost.  Amazing!!

A Happy Flight!

     Sebastian, Jacob and I flew to Rome after Ron and the girls, due to Jake's late graduation date.  I was a bit nervous about how Sebastian, as a strong-willed two year old, prone to all-out temper tantrums, would do on the plane.
      But I had no reason to fear.  In the airport, he courted a group of college students from OU.  They nicknamed him "Sebo-Soggy-Socks-Sebastian" since he spilled Odwalla Blueberry drink on his socks.  Here he is at the gate with his entourage!

Here he is with his Odwalla drink.

Honestly, apart from a few minutes of crying on the plane, he did really well.

One trick was that I brought a full-sized bed pillow from home, and lay it across his seat.  It functioned as a little mattress for him, which probably made things much more comfortable.

Another "trick" was prayer: I prayed a slew of very specific prayers.  It was amazing how many of them were answered!  For example, I prayed that the people around us would be understanding of him.  As it turned out, the OU students were surrounding us!  For such a huge plane, that seemed no coincidence.  An answer to prayer.  Another prayer I prayed was good flight attendants that were sympathetic of children.  Our flight attendants whispered when he was asleep, and gave us extra drinks and supplies.  Very thoughtful! 

I thank God for our happy flight! 

My Covington Friends

Love you guys!!!

Patricia, Jenn, Anne, Christine--Y'all are such a blessing!!

Wishes Come True

Wishes do come true--and my birthday was a perfect example of that!
--I had a happy birthday brunch with friends, and we cooked up a new book club
--My husband took at 6:30 am flight home from D.C. so that he could spend the whole day with me: what a gift!
--My sister sent me cards and packages for a month!
--My parents took me and my family out for a wonderful meal and gave me wonderful gifts

I am the luckiest person!  All of my wishes in life have come true!

Happy Child!

How he hits the ball every single time, I do not know!  He is such an uber-athelete!

Slime

Question: What happens when you mix two eleven year olds and slime?  

Answer: Slime--which is a bit like bubble gum--in hair!

It took two of us half an hour to get the slime out of her hair!  We used vegetable oil to loosen up the slime and then we scraped it out with our fingernails.  Fortunately it worked, because I was very close to cutting it out!

Bugs!

A Prayer for Mothers' Day

    Lord, thank you for this celebration of mothers.

    Thank you for my own mom, who is a treasure and who has blessed me in unspeakable ways.  Imagine, a woman bringing me into this world!  Raising me up, from my tiniest infancy!  Holding me, feeding me, attending to me as I took my first steps!  Waking up with me in the night!  Thank you, Lord, that she loves me so much.  I owe her my life. 

    Thank you, also, for my getting to be a mother.  Thank you for the opportunity that not all women share and thus is a true privilege, to participate in the creation of another human being.  Thank you for the chance to love someone as deeply and as purely as I do my own children.  Thank you for the chance to give myself as a complete gift to someone else--the only way to be truly happy.  Thank you for this role that helps my children become all they can be, and helps me be refined and made a better person.  Thank you for this life of building a civilization of love.  

     Together, with other mothers, may we raise up the next generation of humanity--with its saints, popes, priests, artists, workers for social justice, educators, and all the faithful who sanctify the world to God through their daily lives--with the best that we have.  Bless our meager efforts, have mercy on us in our failings, and making holy our hidden domestic ways for the salvation of the world.  

     Amen.  

Our Lady of Fatima

    May 13th is the centennial of the appearance of Mary to three children in Fatima.  Mary's message was a call to conversion and prayer.  My love for Fatima is that the appearance, in 1917, was at the end of World War I.  To me, Mary was powerfully interceding for the end of war and the repair and conversion of those who suffered its aftermath.  My view is that Mary is not a quaint, delicate lady, unfit for politics and global issues.  Rather, she is the Great Mother, who cares for the soldiers, politicians, and civilians as her own children, and guides them to be their better selves.  She is the mother of humankind, and when we dedicate ourselves to her, she lifts us up onto higher ground.
    She also shows us the power of motherhood.  If the whole world is falling into despair and horrific suffering, as it did in WWI, isn't it interesting that it is a mother who calls us to a better life?  A mom speaking to three small children is the way heaven beacons humanity to renewal and peace.